In the Rough
by blacksyryn
Summary: Raven is new to earth, new to the Titans, and new to the reality of friendship. As years pass, could friendship become something more? From the start of the Titans until their break up. Ravx? CH.7: So, you wanna dance?
1. Chapter 1

**In the Rough**

Chapter One

Standing on a roof, a lone figure stares at the night sky and wonders. Hearing the sound of a door slamming shut, the figure turned around and frowns at the disturbance of the blessed silence. Stepping into one of the many shadows on the rooftop, the figure watches as a group of teenagers walk to the building's edge. Silently, the figure quickly observes the group of three boys and one girl.

The first teen on the roof stood out in more ways than one. And, the figure thought—considering how everyone in the group was unique in some way—that was quite a feat. But this teen stood out because of the simple fact that he was the tallest. The handsome African-American boy stood head and shoulders above the others and looked to be the oldest also. Over half of his body was covered with metal that glowed a vivid blue against the backdrop of indigo sky behind him. He had one robotic red eye while the other human eye was a warm and compassionate brown.

Directly behind him was a shorter teen. A shorter green teen. From his skin to his slightly lighter hair, the boy was green. Even his eyes were green. As the figure watched, the green boy said something to the robotic teen that apparently was funny to no one but himself. The boy's pointed ears drooped and he pouted at the lack of reaction to his joke. The figure noticed a small fang poking out of the elf's lower jaw and into his upper lip. _Cute,_ the figure thought, _he's in desperate need of a dentist for that, but it's cute._ While the first teen didn't have much by the way of clothing—the figure noted that the metal covering his body doubled as clothing—the green one wore a black unitard with a purple stripe down the center and forming what looked to be shorts before giving way to black tights that fit into cool metal boots.

After the green boy was the only girl in the group. Taller than the green elf by a head, she didn't stand so much as hover in place. Innocent eyes turned to the last teen and the figure noticed that instead of having a colored pupil surrounded by white, the alien had green on green eyes. The figure was slightly surprised to see a Tameranian on Earth, but shrugged it off. Bright orange skin matched with dark red hair that should've clashed horribly but only added to the alien's beauty. Noticing that the Tameranian girl's clothing was that of the warrior class, the figure saw that the arm and neck bands proclaimed her to be part of the royal family.

_No bodysuit, _the figure thought,_ she must be a Dove warrior then. Only Hawk Knights of Tameran wear bodysuits under their outfits._

The last teen was shorter than the Tameranian but taller than the green boy. Actually, he was about the figure's height. Black spiky hair and eyemask notwithstanding, he looked the most normal of the group. His clothing was a bright mix of red, green, yellow, and black. A red shirt with green sleeves covered a slightly muscled chest while green pants tucked into black steel toed boots. A short black cape lined with yellow hung from his shoulders and swayed in the breeze. Completing the uniform was a pair of green gloves, a yellow belt, and a black button on his shirt with a big yellow "R" on it. If the figure had doubts that this was the leader of the group of teens, they were dissipated by the Tameranian's next sentence.

"Friend Robin," the girl asked as she floated next to the spiky haired teen. "Why have you gathered us on the top of the roof this evening?"

The masked boy smiled at the girl and answered, "I got a message from Batman, Starfire. The Justice League recently denied membership to a young woman and he wants me to see if she can work with us. She's supposed to be here by 10 o'clock."

The robotic teen looked at a screen on his arm. "Well, it's almost ten. What time did she leave the Watchtower?"

"I don't know, Cyborg," Robin answered. "Batman didn't say. He also didn't say much on what kind of powers this girl has, only that she's 15 years old."

"Dude," the green boy muttered. "Wonder what she did to keep the Justice League from accepting her. Think she made fun of Superman's outfit?"

"Worse," the figure said, stepping out of the shadows. "Hawkgirl's mace."

"Gaaaahhhh!" Cyborg and the green elf screamed. Cyborg's right arm changed into a cannon, while the other boy turned into a green turtle (which promptly hid in its shell). Starfire and Robin also assumed defensive stances.

Recovering quickly, Robin ran a hand through his hair and held out his hand. "I'm Robin," he introduced himself. "These are Starfire, Cyborg, Beast Boy." He pointed to each of the other teens in turn, ending at the turtle. The top left of Robin's mask raised up, making the figure think that he raised an eyebrow at her. "And you are?"

"Raven," she said emotionlessly, ignoring his hand.

Slowly, Robin lowered his hand to his side. "Well, Raven, why don't we go downstairs and we can talk over dinner? Do you like pizza?"

Raven blinked lavender eyes at the teen. "I've never had any," she answered.

"Dude!" Beast Boy said morphing back into human form. "Then you're in for a major treat! There's nothing better than Tofu pizza!"

"Tofu!" Cyborg yelled. "That's no way to introduce someone to pizza. You might as well put cement on the cheese. Try pepperoni and sausage."

"Meat! I told you I don't eat meat! I've been most of those animals, Cy!" Beast Boy complained.

"Friends," Starfire interrupted. "Why do we not go to the food processory and see what we have to consume before we begin the arguing debate of meat or the tofu?"

"I was thinking of ordering from Pizza Pete's," Robin said, rubbing his forehead.

"Shotgun!" Cyborg yelled as he ran to the door to go back inside.

"No way, dude!" Beast Boy yelled as he turned into a cheetah and ran past Cyborg.

"Friends!" Starfire called as she flew after them.

"So that's the team?" Raven asked sarcastically. "They're real gems."

Robin laughed. "An emerald, a topaz, and a sapphire—that's them. We'll talk after dinner then. We should go downstairs before they kill each other." Robin stopped when he felt Raven touch him on the arm and was surprised when she pushed down the hood of her blue cape to reveal short purple hair, lavender eyes, gray skin, and a red chakra jewel on her forehead.

"I can get us there faster," Raven said. "All you have to do is tell me where the kitchen is."

"Down two floors, on the east side of the tower," Robin answered. "Before we go though, Batman left an additional message besides what I told the others."

"Really?" Raven asked deadpanned.

"Why do you need to be part of a superhero team so badly?" he asked. "Why are you so far from your home? What do you need us for?"

Raven's eyes glowed white as black energy enveloped the two. Before the shadows covered them totally, Robin heard Raven's soft voice in his mind. _I need sanctuary._

"You have it," Robin whispered as they phased through the roof and reappeared in the kitchen.

Chapter 2


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own the Teen Titans…waaahhh!

**Author's Note:** I changed part of chapter one. Not a lot, but instead of Robin calling Starfire a ruby, I changed it to topaz. After thinking about it, Robin's the ruby of the group. So…yeah. If you don't know what I'm talking about, you probably read the revised version.

Chapter Two

Robin was in the corner listening to music at an ear-splitting level while Starfire moved around in the kitchen looking for more mustard to drink. Raven looked over at Beast Boy and Cyborg fighting some kind of game on the Gamestation and sighed. It had been one month since the incident where they had been sucked into her meditation mirror and already the small amount of peace she had gotten from defeating her anger was gone. Turning into her soul self, Raven flew onto the roof.

Robin noticed a flash of black out of the corner of his eye and turned as a black raven flew through the ceiling and vanished. _Raven,_ he thought frustratingly. _Just when I think she's going to open up, something happens. _Leaving the music blaring, he made his way onto the roof.

Raven floated three feet above the roof in the lotus position and looked at the setting sun. Orange and red soaked through the sky before giving way to the unrelenting ocean. Keeping her eyes on the horizon, Raven let herself remember what had happened the first night she came to the tower. After the others had eaten their pizza and gone to bed, she and Robin had stayed in the living room talking. Feeling strangely connected to the masked teen, she had told him everything.

_Well, almost everything,_ Raven amended silently.

For hours they had talked, all the while sipping on the liquid Robin poured into their glasses. Raven knew now that the liquid was some sort of alcohol. Subtle and at the same time strong, the effects of the liquor loosened her tongue. She couldn't say she blamed their leader for his tactics. During dinner she had remained silent throughout Cyborg and Beast Boy's questions. She had quietly, but firmly, kept Starfire from hugging her to death with a few choice words in Tameranian. Well, one word really. Apparently, the others didn't know that Starfire was a princess—and she didn't want them to know.

She had told him of her father Trigon and his abuse, but not that he was a demon trapped in another dimension. She had told him of Arella, the woman who had given birth to her, and Azar, the woman who had trained her. Raven frowned as she recalled telling Robin of her embarrassing interview with the Justice League. Hawkgirl's voice still rang in her head.

_"Evil! Seed of Trigon, leave here!"_

It didn't matter that Raven was half human. To Hawkgirl, that was a weak shield against the evil Raven was capable of if she lost control.

She had told Robin of her problems with control.

**flashback**

"You do meditate, right?" he asked, a frown on his face. "Your chakra must help you."

"Yes," Raven answered. "My chakra, along with the red stones on my belt and the one on my broach, help channel my energy. I don't need to wear the belt or broach all the time, just when I use my powers the most."

"I'd like to start instructing you on hand to hand combat as well," Robin stated. "No use for you to lean too heavily on your powers. Plus, the physical training will add a bit more discipline to your mental shields."

**end flashback**

Raven was shaken out of her trance by the sound of the roof door banging closed. She was about to blast the intruder when she heard the unmistakable sound of light metal boots against the floor.

"Hello, Robin," she said in her usual monotone.

"Hey Raven," Robin stood next to her and looked up—she was still floating above the roof. "What's up? Besides you I mean."

Narrowing her eyes at the Boy Wonder's lame joke, Raven put her feet on the roof. "That pitiful excuse for a joke is more suited to Beast Boy than you, Robin. What do you want?"

Robin scratched his head and Raven noticed that the gel covered locks barely moved. "I just wanted to see if you were ok," he answered. "You seemed off after the whole Dr. Light thing and then Beast Boy and Cy were in your room."

Raven smirked. "At least Starfire wasn't with them."

"For that small favor you owe me big time," the Boy Wonder stated.

"What do you mean?" Raven said, sitting down on the ledge of the roof.

Following suit, Robin sat next to her. "I mean that I'm the one who kept Star away for so long. She wanted to check up on you and bring you something that sort of looked like soup—only it had no liquid in it."

Raven gave a delicate shudder and looked over at her fellow bird with what was almost a grateful light in her eyes. "You're right, I do owe you."

Robin sat rubbing his chin for a moment. "What to do?" he wondered out loud. "What to do?"

"As long as it doesn't involve another rubber chicken or tutu, I'm fine with it," Raven said.

"There's a poetry reading at the Desert Rose tomorrow. A poet is gonna read from his new book and a few of his favorites," Robin said. "He's kinda starting out, but Barb—a friend of mine heard him in Gotham and told me that I'd find it interesting."

Raven's eyebrows rose at the mention of another girl—she (and anyone with a set of eyeballs) could tell that the Titans' leader was crushing on a certain redheaded alien. "The Desert Rose is a bar, Robin." she said. "We're only fifteen."

"I'm sixteen," Robin corrected. "As you will be as of 12:01 am tonight."

"How did you—" Raven started.

"You told me remember?" Robin interrupted. "And you do owe me a favor. How bad could celebrating your birthday be?"

Raven remained silent, thinking about her eighteenth birthday and what was destined to be.

"Even if you don't want the others to know," Robin said. "You should do something."

Raven's head whipped around as a thought occurred to her. "You didn't put my birthday in the computer files did you?"

"Don't worry. It's in an encrypted file. Far away and in a place only you and I—and possibly Cyborg—can find it." Robin assured.

Raven sighed. "What about the bar, Boy Blunder?"

"It's okay, the Desert Rose is just a coffee shop-slash-club that sells alcohol, too. They're giving out wristbands and everything. Having a wristband equals no drinking alcohol." Robin explained.

"Okay," Raven answered. "If I'm gonna celebrate my birthday, I can think of worse things than spending it listening to poetry."

"Don't forget your handsome date," Robin boasted.

"Is this a date, Bird Boy?" Raven asked, raising an elegant eyebrow. "I don't think Star would like that."

"It's just two friends going out and enjoying each other's company, Bird Girl," Robin replied ignoring Raven's comment about Starfire. His mask rose over one eye as he mimicked Raven's look. "But I do have one condition."

"I knew it," Raven voiced.

"We have to go as civilians. No powers, no costumes. I'll meet you in your room and you can phase us down to the garage. That way no one will see us." Robin said.

"What if the others knock on our doors and we're not there?"

Robin smirked. "Well the others leave you basically alone and I'm just gonna tell them I'm going out."

"What time?" she asked.

"The stage is open at 7, which means it'll really start going at 7:30, so I'll be at your room by 6. That'll give us some time to eat before. We'll take my motorcycle—the black one," Robin qualified at Raven's pointed look.

"Good," she nodded. "If we took the R-cycle, we would've been recognized in no time.

"So it's a date that's not really a real date but an outing between two friends and teammates?" Robin asked.

"It's something," Raven answered.

Chapter 3


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: The Teen Titans do not belong to me.

Chapter 3

_What am I doing?_ Raven asked herself as she got ready for tonight. Opening her closet she sighed. Cape, cape, leotard, leotard, leotard, black leather pants, black jeans, and 3 baggy shirts—in black. Robin had told her to dress up and out of uniform.

Putting on the rattiest of the three leotards, Raven focused her energy and the fabric rearranged itself into a long sleeved blue-black fitted top. Tilting her head, Raven sighed again.

_Might as well go all out,_ Raven thought and focused her magic again.

The top was still fitted, only now it was shorter at the bottom and allowed her pierced belly button—with its tiny silver raven—to show. And it was still long sleeved, sort of.

The top now covered only one shoulder, leaving the other bare, and the sleeve from that shoulder had a slit up to her upper arm with a band of fabric gathering the ends at her wrist. Raven then put on the leather pants and the pair of black stiletto heels she had bought for her birthday last week.

_A girl's entitled to a few luxuries,_ Raven smirked as she buckled the strap around her ankle. No one on the team knew of Raven's love of a good pair of heels and leather. They might suspect the fondness for leather, but never the love of footwear. _Robin's jaw is gonna drop to the ground, _she predicted.

Turning to her vanity mirror—not the meditation one—Raven stared at her reflection. She looked almost normal. _Now for the hair and make up, then accessories,_ Raven decided.

Taking a silver brush and a pair of ebony chopsticks with silver etchings, Raven put her hair in a sleek top knot—allowing two strands of hair to frame her face. The affect was a hairstyle that looked haphazard and at the same time was very hard to dislodge. Frowning at her chakra, Raven tried to figure out what to do. She couldn't take it off—that would hurt like all holy hell. Looking in her jewelry box, Raven found a simple silver linked necklace. After weaving the necklace through her hair, she took the ends and—using a bit of magic and some adhesive—attached them to her chakra. Now it looked as if her charka was a pendant on her forehead.

Pleased by the effect of the necklace, Raven picked up an eyeliner pencil and traced the Smokey black color around her lavender eyes. That done, she brushed some translucent powder over her eyelids and smeared some dark berry lipstick on her lips. After adding some clear lipgloss, Raven put the lipstick, eyeliner, and lipgloss in a tiny black handbag.

Looking back in her jewelry box, Raven took out a beautiful silver and ruby jeweled torq. The flexible metal fit around her neck, leaving the ruby ends resting against her collar bones and giving Raven the sensation of being gently strangled. Picking up a pair of earrings, she put them on. The small ruby stud in front was shaped like a small raven, while three thin chains of silver trailed down from the stud in the back and brushed her shoulders every time she moved her head.

Choosing to not wear any rings, Raven reached for a wide black leather wristband with silver stitching and embroidery. After fastening it to her left arm—the one bared by her top—Raven looked at herself and smiled. _Happy Birthday to me,_ she thought.

Just then, a knock sounded on Raven's door. Sensing that the person behind the door wasn't Robin, Raven summoned her cloak and pulled the hood over her hair. When the knock sounded again, she opened the door to find a hovering Starfire.

"Friend Raven," she started. "Would you like to watch this movie with me?" Starfire held a DVD box in front of her—almost smashing Raven's nose into her skull in the process. "It is the 'Miss Congeniality' film."

Raven sighed. _I will not feel guilty for going out with Robin,_ she thought as she looked at Star. _He's just taking me out for my birthday. Nothing more._

"No thanks, Starfire," Raven answered in her customary monotone. "I need to meditate and besides," she added when Starfire started to speak again. "Robin asked me to look through my spellbooks for a way to track the Hive kids."

Starfire's insistence to bring Raven into her world of pink, fluffy clouds screeched to a halt at their leader's name. "Yes," she stated. "Robin mentioned that he too will be tracking the Hive tonight. I offered to accompany him, but he told me to stay here."

"Why don't you ask Beast Boy or Cyborg, Star?" Raven suggested. "And tell them not to bother me."

Starfire nodded and turned to the right—towards the living room. "Good luck with your search, Friend Raven," she said as she flew off.

Waiting a few minutes to make sure the alien girl was gone, Raven turned to her left. "You can come out now, Robin."

A dark head peered around the corner, a pair of sunglasses covering his eyes. "I'm just glad Star didn't decide to go to Beast Boy's room first," he admitted. "It would be hard enough to explain my hair—let alone my outfit."

Stepping aside to let the Boy Wonder into her room, Raven looked over his clothing. True enough, Robin's hair wasn't gelled to within an inch of its life. In fact, it fell against his skull in a rather flattering way. His bangs were on the long side and his side part caused them to flop over his right eye every so often. Robin also chose to wear black tonight. The tight button-up shirt showed his thin, but toned chest to full effect. Black jeans with a silver chain holding on to his wallet, black boots, and a leather wristband with the "Batman" insignia in gold thread on his left wrist completed his outfit.

"Looking good, Robin," Raven said.

"I would say the same to you, but you're cloak's still on," Robin replied. "And it's Richard tonight, Raven."

"Alright, _Richard,_ call me Rachel." Raven said, taking off her cloak and placing it in her closet. "Let's go."

Letting loose a low whistle, Robin looked Raven up and down. "You sure do look nice, Rachel, but your hair looks too much like a certain Titan I've heard about."

Touching her hair, Raven sighed and closed her eyes. After she opened them, she touched a strand of ebony black hair. "Better, Richard?"

Catching her hand, Robin smiled. "Beautiful, but I really like the purple better."

Blushing, Raven phased them down to the first floor of Titans Tower.

"So Gar picks up what's left of the cheesecake and smears it all over Victor's face!" Richard finished laughing.

Rachel gave a small smile and glanced at Richard across their small table. "That's believable," she said, sipping her green tea and nibbling at her lasagna. After leaving the Tower, both she and Robin had agreed to use their real names—when talking about themselves and the others. It was easier for them to talk freely if no one knew who they were talking about. "What was Kori's reaction?"

Richard waved a hand at a passing waiter. "You know Kori," he said after asking for some coffee. "Always the peacekeeper."

"Hmm…" Rachel looked into her tea and set the cup down. "What are we doing, Richard?"

"What do you mean? We're just having dinner and then going to a poetry reading."

The empath stared at her leader. "You're confused, Richard. I can feel it. About me and Kori." The waiter had returned with Richard's coffee and tried to act like he wasn't listening. The two teens had been the gossip of the waiting staff ever since they pulled up in Richard's expensive black Suzuki.

"I don't know, Rachel," Richard answered. "I like Kori and she's beautiful, you know? But you're beautiful, too. Just in a different way. There are things I can talk about with you that Kori won't—or can't—understand. She'd make a great girlfriend. You make a great girl _friend_."

"As long as a friend is all I am, Richard." Rachel glared at the hovering waiter. "Could you get us the check, please?" Leaning back, she looked Richard in the eye. "Kori'd be better for your disposition anyway. You're dark enough as it is. Besides," she added, giving a delicate shudder. "Rich and Rach sound way too cutesy for the two of us. And you know that's what the others would call us if we got together."

Richard nodded and smirked. "Birds of a feather and all that I guess. You're right, of course. But the fact that I like Kori as more than a friend doesn't change the fact that we work together. It would get too messy if something went wrong. If I took her out like this," he gestured to the crowded restaurant behind her, "she'd never take it as a friendship thing. She's all hearts and flowers. You can be that too, but you'd stop and check for thorns first."

Rachel nodded. "As long as we understand each other, Richard. I do not want to see what happens when Kori loses her temper."

Raising an eyebrow, Richard responded, "Does Kori _have_ a temper?"

"Why wouldn't she?" she answered. "People from her homeland have tempers just like the people from mine. But we both hold on to them with choke chains."

"God help the men you two finally choose for boyfriends," Richard said, wincing. "And I hope that they never piss either of you off."

"Better start praying, Rich," Rachel said standing up. "From the looks of things when Koma visited, Kori would like nothing more than for you to be her boyfriend. Which was why I was worried about going out tonight."

"It's your birthday, Rach," Richard shot back as they left the restaurant. "Might as well celebrate it."

"By all means then," she said as she sat behind him on his motorcycle. "Let's celebrate it."

**Author's Note:** Raven's a bit out of character here, but she's still female enough to like shoes goshdarnit! Oh, and I'm gonna be using their non-Titan names for a while (a lot in the next chapter) so here are the names of the Titans and their friends/enemies.

Names:

Robin Richard Grayson

Raven Rachel Roth

Cyborg Victor Stone

Beast Boy Garfield Logan

Starfire Kori Anders (her Tameranian name is Kori'andr)

Blackfire Koma Anders (her Tameranian name is Kom'andr)


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Teen Titans or Luigi from the Mario Bros. franchise

This Chapter's Cast of Characters:

Robin: Richard Grayson

Raven: Rachel Roth

Takashi Genrou: the manager/owner of The Desert Rose Club

The portrait described in the Pit is an actual painting I saw at the Acme Art Gallery in Los Angeles. (Yes, that's its real name)

The poem Taka recites was written by Guiraut de Boneilh

* * *

Chapter 4

The Desert Rose was really a club for the 16-24 year old set. On weekends, it was filled with people and the noise and the bar was always hopping. On weekdays, though, that was a different story. Those were the days that the college crowd would wander in for coffee, happy hour, or an after class drink with friends. The Desert Rose was divided into three spaces: the Bar, the Floor, and the Pit.

The Bar was what a person would expect it to be—a long black piece of wood where one could get beverages and (if you were really brave) a bowl of slightly stale pretzels. Right in front of the Bar was the Floor. Slightly raised above the bar floor, the Floor was a dance floor large enough to hold the weekend crowd and a small stage for the rare occasions when the club had a live band.

The Pit was in the back of the club and separated from the front by a long hallway where the restrooms were located. Far enough away from the front—and with the help of a few soundproofing guys the owner knew—the music from the dance floor didn't disturb the atmosphere of the Pit whatsoever. The Pit was a sunken oval of comfy, cushy couches, low slung, artsy coffee tables, and a small stage in the center. Artwork hung on the walls—both abstract and traditional, with a lot of video game character portraits. (The one of an elongated version of a depressed Luigi from Mario Bros. especially intrigued Rachel.) All of the paintings had dark tones to them, with a splash of color here and there, but those added to rather than distracting from the atmosphere.

The Pit also featured a deceptively small coffee bar in the very back that served everything from coffee to fruit salad to wheat germ. All in all, it was the perfect venue for a poetry reading.

"You're so lucky your birthday was on a Thursday this year, Rach. Otherwise we'd have to battle through a bunch of teenagers to get here," Richard commented as they entered the Pit. Motioning to a dark blue velvet couch near the stage, Richard waited until Rachel sat down before placing his jacket on the arm of the chair. "Do you want anything to drink?"

Nodding, Rachel answered, "Some Green Tea—Japanese Cherry if they have it."

"One Japanese Cherry Green Tea, coming up." And with that, he left toward the coffee bar.

Looking around, Rachel noticed that the crowd was made up of mostly college kids and older high schoolers. "Why doesn't the owner put an entrance in the back then?" she wondered. "Right next to the coffee bar would look good, maybe. It's far enough from the main parking lot that most of the people who wanted to party would ignore it."

"I'll take that under advisement," a voice answered.

Twisting her head toward the new voice, she saw an eighteen or nineteen year old man standing beside the couch. He had straight dark red hair that was striped with black that hung to his shoulders. Golden cat-like eyes peered at her with interest glowing in them. A white silk long sleeved shirt covered his toned chest and black leather pants covered his long legs.

"Why don't you sit down?" Rachel asked, in a good enough mood to be friendly. "Staring at you is kinda hurting my neck."

Letting loose a husky laugh, the stranger sat next to her and held out his hand. "Takashi Genrou," he said. "The owner of this fine establishment. But my friends call me Taka."

Taking his hand, Rachel felt the jolt of electricity through their joined fingers. Of course, the surprise didn't show on her face—her widening eyes, though, told another story. "Are you my friend Mr. Genrou?"

That laugh again. "I would hope that you would deem me worthy of such an honor, my lady," Taka responded. "But it's Mr. Takashi. I'm Japanese, so I usually say my last name first. By the way, I didn't seem to get yours."

Not noticing—or caring—that her hand was still in this virtual stranger's hand, Rachel answered. "I'm Rachel Roth."

"What a beautiful name," Taka murmured. "Would you mind if I—"

"Here's your tea, Rachel." A mug and tea kettle settled noisily onto the coffee table in front of them. Richard then sat on her other side and stared at the stranger. "And you are? I don't remember seeing you around here before."

"Richard…" Rachel whispered threateningly. "Behave yourself."

If Taka heard that little part, he gave no sign. "Takashi Genrou," he said smoothly. "I'd heard that Richard Grayson was a regular in my club, but I didn't dare to believe it. How is Bruce?"

Whipping her head to face Richard, Rachel looked at him with shocked eyes.

_Grayson!_ She thought, shocked. _Robin's secret identity is Richard Grayson?_

"Bruce is fine," Richard answered coolly. "I didn't realize that you owned the Desert Rose. I thought that your father hired managers for your clubs."

Shrugging his shoulders, Taka said, "Own, manage…same difference. I must admit that I'm not in this one very often. Though I might make it a habit to drop by more frequently if women of Rachel's caliber are in attendance."

"Not likely, Takashi," Richard growled. "Tonight's a special occasion."

"Oh?" Taka asked, raising his eyebrows. "Celebrating an anniversary perhaps?"

"No," Rachel said, speaking up. "It's my birthday."

"Well then, Happy Birthday, Rachel," Taka said, kissing the back of her hand—which he still held. "Drinks are on the house."

"She's only sixteen, _Taka,_" Richard bit out.

"Not all drinks are alcoholic, _Dick,_" Taka drawled. "I'll make sure you get a refund for that pot of tea. Japanese Cherry isn't it?" Without waiting for an affirmative, Taka stood up. "I must go check on the poet—it's already 7:15. Enjoy the show, dear Rachel."

After he left, an awkward silence descended upon Rachel and Richard.

"You two seemed a bit cozy when I got here," Richard said, coolly.

"You two seemed a bit macho when you interrupted our conversation," Rachel responded in her usual monotone.

"What do you expect, Rach?" Richard said, running his hand through his hair. "He was hitting on my date!"

Since she was pouring her tea into her mug at the time, Rachel's right hand jerked and spilled some tea on her left hand. "Oh!"

Sighing, Richard pulled out a white handkerchief—cotton, not silk—and dabbed at the redness on her hand.

"My hero with his very own white hanky," she joked. Staring at their hands, Rachel sighed also. "I thought we went over this, Richard. We're friends. _Only_ friends. We can't be anything more."

"I know that." Richard said. Lifting his head to look into her eyes, he brushed her hair away from her face. "I know that and that's all I'm offering. It's just left over testosterone from Takashi. We knew each other in prep school," he answered her silent question. "We've never gotten along well."

Both remained silent for a while, knowing that Richard's reaction went beyond that of an old prep school rivalry.

"Hmmm…" Rachel left it at that and sat back to listen to the man now on the stage.

It was Taka.

"The poet for tonight wishes for a few opening acts—as it were—so here I am. This is one of my favorite poems," Taka said into the microphone. His voice was the voice of a poet—all honey smooth and whiskey deep. "It's written by Guiraut de Boneilh." Taka then looked straight at Rachel and smiled. "Happy Birthday, Rachel."

_So through the eyes of love attains the heart;_

_For the eyes are the scouts of the heart,_

_And the eyes go reconnoitering_

_For what it would please the heart to possess._

_And when they are in full accord_

_And firm, all three, in the one resolve,_

_At that time, perfect love is born _

_From what the eyes have made welcome to the heart._

_Not otherwise can love either be born or have commencement_

_Than by this birth and commencement moved by inclination._

_By the grace and by command_

_Of these three, and from their pleasure,_

_Love is born, who its fair hope _

_Goes comforting her friends._

_For as all true lovers _

_Know, love is perfect kindness,_

_Which is born—there is no doubt—from the heart and eyes._

_The eyes make it blossom; the heart matures it:_

_Love, which is the fruit of their very seed._

Rachel sat in shock. Taka just recited one of her favorite poems word perfect. Taka just dedicated that poem to her for her birthday. Taka just _met_ her that night! _Interesting bastard,_ Rachel grudgingly thought, impressed beyond all belief.

Richard sat in a rage. Taka just succeeded in winning the attention of every woman in the Pit. Taka just won Rachel's—his _date's_—attention. Taka just met her that night! _Smug bastard!_ Richard angrily thought, annoyed beyond all belief.

Neither noticed the fact that the featured poet came onstage at that point. Neither did they notice the glowing golden eyes that watched their every move for the rest of the night. From Rachel's first sip of tea to the sight of her clutching Richard's waist as his motorcycle peeled out of the parking lot, golden eyes watched.

And planned.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Teen Titans, Pirates of the Caribbean, Johnny Depp (though I wish I did), Hot Topic, Charlotte Russe, Forever 21, Bath and Body Works, Scream Shoe Shop, or any other retail store usually found in a mall.

**Jabba the Cup is an imagined coffee shop. (As far as I know.)**

This Chapter's Cast of Characters:

Raven: Rachel Roth aka "Rae"

Starfire: Kori Anders

Robin: Richard Grayson

Aqualad: Connor Selky

Takashi Genrou

* * *

**Chapter 5**

"Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos…Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos…Azarath…"

"Hey, Starfire?"

Opening one eye, Starfire looked over at the hovering empath next to her. "Yes, Raven?"

"After this, you wanna go to the mall?"

"I would like that very much," Starfire replied. Sighing contentedly, she closed her eyes.

"Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos…Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos…Azarath…Metrion…"

* * *

A knock at her door alerted Raven to Starfire's presence. "Enter!" she shouted through the shirt she was pulling over her head. "You changed pretty quickly, Starfire."

"I only changed my shirt, removed my armbands, and changed my shoes, Friend Raven," Starfire said.

Looking over, Raven saw that Starfire looked pretty much the same. Except for a white tank top that had the word "Princess" airbrushed on it in shades of purple, gray, black and pink. "Nice shirt," Raven mentioned.

"I have one for you as well, Raven!" Smiling, Starfire held out a black tank top in front of her. It had the word "Sorceress" airbrushed in shades of dark red, purple, grey, and white.

Taking the top, Raven admired the airbrushing. "When did you get these, Star?"

"I made them after our encounter with the Puppet King," Starfire answered. "It is a hobby of mine just as reading is yours."

"Your very talented," Raven said, impressed with Starfire's artistry. "You told me that the arts were included in your education, but not this kind of artwork."

"Please, remove your current clothing choice and wear the top I made," Starfire pleaded. As Raven complied, she floated towards the vanity mirror. "On my planet, when a girl marries and becomes a mother, she paints on her wedding dress and the swaddling clothes of her children. The brighter and more detailed the artwork on the bridal gown, the happier the bride." Turning to Raven, Starfire nodded at the effect. "There is nothing more telling of a bride's unhappiness than a pure white wedding gown."

"If the gown is unpainted, does the bride get punished?" Raven asked, intrigued. "Does the wedding still go through?"

"Usually, no," Starfire answered. "One look at a pure white gown frightens even the strongest of warrior bridegrooms. They do not want an unhappy bride, so they usually halt the wedding ceremony. Only the Grand Ruler of Tameran can force a marriage."

"So it's a subtle way of protesting an unwanted marriage," Raven concluded, as she attatched the silver necklace turned head band to her chakra and used her magic to turn her hair black.

"Yes," Starfire said in a puzzled voice. "Friend Raven, why do you attatch jewelry to your forehead? And how did you change your hair color so quickly?"

"It's called a glamour. It's just a small spell to make it look like my hair was black. And I'm gonna put the same spell on you. We need to blend in a bit better at the mall, Star," Raven said. "You look nice, but still too alien for normal people."

A frown covering her features, Starfire looked over at her chest. "My grabnacks are covered. And I have seen most of the girls of this city wear clothing such as this. What is wrong with my appearance?"

Raven smiled and walked over to Starfire and placed her arm next to hers. "My skin is allowed to be grayish because I'm what people call a goth. Goths are supposed to be pale. But your skin is too orange. And your eyes are too green."

"Your eyes are purple."

"Yes, but again, since people see me as a goth, strange colored eyes are somewhat acceptable. They think that they're contacts anyway. What's strange about your eyes is that you have no white in them. They're just green on green."

"I cannot change my eyes, Friend Raven. Nor can I alter the color of my skin," Starfire pointed out.

"That's what the glamour is for, Star," Raven said patiently. "It will make people _think_ you have normal skin and eyes, but you won't actually have to change anything physically."

"Is this 'glamour' very painful?"

"No, it's pain-free. Now close your eyes so we can go to the mall," Raven ordered.

When Starfire opened her eyes, she saw that Raven had turned her normally bright green eyes into a duller forest green (duller but by no means ugly…just not as bright as her usual eye color) and her normally orange tinged skin was an attractive light brown.

"I look more human now, Raven," Starfire said, gleefully. "We can now go to the mall of shopping!"

Smiling softly, Raven held up her hand. "There are just two things you need to remember, Starfire. One: you can't use your powers at all. If you do, the glamour will be broken and your appearance will revert back to normal. The same goes for me. And two: when we're at the mall, you can't call me Raven."

"Why not?" Starfire asked. "If I am not allowed to call you by your name, then what should I call you by?"

"If the people at the mall knew we were Titans, then we probably would be mobbed for autographs," she answered. "Call me Rachel, or if you can't remember that, just call me Rae. It could be short for either Rachel or Raven, so it might be easier for you."

Nodding her head in understanding, Starfire looked at Raven. "Rav-I mean _Rachel_, what am I to be called?"

"Kori, of course," Rachel smiled.

"You smile more often when you are Rachel," Kori observed. "Why is that?"

"I have no clue, Kori," Rachel said. "But it could be because I get to drive my new car to the mall."

At the mention of Rachel's dark purple Mini Cooper, Kori jumped up and down. "Yes! Finally you shall drive your new transport!"

Picking up her keys and a black wallet, Rachel grabbed Kori's hand. "Let's go before one of the boys see us and ask where we're going. I don't want them to see us like this."

_I believe that __Garfield__ will like the way you look, Rachel,_ Kori thought to herself. Out loud she said, "Yes, let us go. I do not wish for the boys to mark along with us."

"I think you mean 'tag along' but that's okay," Rachel said. "Let's just go already!"

**

* * *

**

Jump**City**** Mall**

"Where to first?" Rachel asked.

"Bath and Body," Kori answered instantly. "I am out of the Cucumber Melon body lotion."

"Okay, I need some lotion myself," Rachel replied.

Half an hour later, the two girls stumbled out of the store—dragging no less than 3 bags each.

"Stupid sales," Rachel grumbled. "Stupid 'Buy three get the fourth free' sales. Stupid female impulse to have the body lotion, body spray, bath lotion, bath salt, bath oil, room aroma oil bulb thing-a-ma-whosit all in the same scent!"

Kori giggled as she dragged her bags along. She couldn't use her super strength because of the glamour. "I did not even begin to imagine how attatched to the scent of Coconut Lime Verbena you were, Rae," she laughted outright at Rachel's grouchy expression.

"That's funny. I would have figured her for a lavender girl," a male voice said behind them. "What do you think, Richard?"

"I think that if I want to keep my limbs intact, I would keep quiet about what I thought, Connor," Richard replied.

"Smart man," Rachel growled.

"Richard! We did not know you would be here!" Kori said self consciously. "Who is your friend?"

Richard motioned toward the tall teen beside him. He had straight, shoulder length hair—black-blue like the ocean at night—and dark fathomless eyes that always seemed to be lit up with an intense fire from within. "Connor Selky, meet Kori Anders and Rachel Roth."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Connor," Kori said, clasping his hand and managing to keep the drool off of her chin and the hearts out of her eyes.

Rachel wasn't so lucky. "Hi," she rasped.

_Aqualad,_ she thought. _What is he doing here?_

"Hello, Rachel," Connor took her hand and rubbed the palm of it softly. "How are things?"

_Can't an underwater hero go shopping, Rachel?_ Connor replied telepathically.

"Things are fine. And how are things with you?" she asked. Looking Connor up and down, she smiled and politely took her hand back.

_I'm not supposed to use my powers, Aqualad! The glamour will fade!_ Rachel thought in a panic.

"Things could be better," he answered. "I can't keep my mind on my work. A certain lavender girl keeps running through my brain."

Laughter gleamed through his dark eyes. _You're not using your powers, Rachel. I'm just invading your space and reading your mind. And call me Connor, I insist._

"I'm sure that if you focus really hard, that lavender girl will leave you alone," she shot back.

Rachel glared daggers at Connor, the hearts disappearing with her anger. All the while, Richard and Kori engaged in some mild flirtation of their own. _Oooohhh…you're gonna get it when we get back to the Tower!_

"Rachel!" Kori said, interrupting their double conversation. "Do you not agree that, since Richard and Connor have interrupted our shopping expedition as well as poked the fun at you, they should accompany us in the form of pack animals?"

"What?" Connor asked.

A mischievous grin graced Rachel's face at Kori's words. "Yes," she agreed. "They can carry our bags as we shop and give their opinions on outfits we try on."

"What!" both boys asked, startled out of the stupor they fell in at the beauty of Rachel's smile.

"Yes, that's what they should do," Rachel decided.

"Would you, Richard?" Kori asked, turning forest green eyes in his direction. "I remember seeing the most beautiful dress in the store of Forever 21. Could you tell me if it drapes my body in an attractive manner? I cannot trust the sales persons, they all want me to buy the dress. You could tell me if it makes my bractacks look big?"

Not wanting to fall into that particular trap, Richard coughed. "Well, uh, we had some shopping of our own to do…"

"We do? " Connor asked, only to get an elbow in his side. "Yes! We do."

"What kind of car do you guys have?" Rachel asked.

Instantly suspicious, Richard stared at Rachel. "Why?"

"I only have my Mini and if we buy as much stuff at the next few stores, then we won't have enough room for everything."

"I have my Prius," Connor mentioned.

"How'd you get a Prius? They aren't supposed to be available for another year," Rachel accused.

"I didn't know you were that into cars, Rach," Richard smirked.

"Victor told me, Rich," Rachel answered.

"I didn't know you were hanging out that much with Victor, either," Richard said.

"With whom I hang out with isn't really something you should know, Big Brother," she replied.

"Okay. Time out!" Connor interrupted. "To answer your question, Rachel, my family pulled some strings over at Wayne Enterprises. Conserving the planet is my thing, you know. What better way to do that than to drive a hybrid car when I'm in town? But as I was saying before I was interrupted, we could store your things there and follow you guys back home."

"That would be wonderful!" Kori decided. "Let us go place our purchases in your vehicle and then you may accompany us in our shopping trip."

"Actually," Richard said. "We can take your bags now, put them in the car, then meet up with you at the Alley in about an hour, okay?" The Alley was the part of the mall that had a lot of different fast food places—kind of like a food court, but one where instead of cafeteria style stalls, each restaurant had it's own enclosed space. "That way we can get our stuff done too."

"Deal," Rachel said, shoving her bags into Connor's hands. "We'll meet you in front of Jabba the Cup in an hour and a half."

"Um…I said one hour, Rach," Richard commented, taking Kori's bags.

"We still have Charlotte Russe, Hot Topic, and Scream to see, Rich," Rachel shot back. "You can't ask us to be back in an hour. Not when I'm shopping with Kori."

"Alright," Richard conceded. "We'll see you in an hour and a half."

"Let us depart, Rae," Kori giggled and grabbed Rachel's hand. "I just heard from those girls over there that there is a sale of clothing at Charlotte Russe!"

As the girls left, Rachel heard one last thing from Connor.

"What did they buy! This bag's heavier than a whale!"

Smiling, she entered Kori's shop of patterned horrors.

* * *

"Rachel?" Kori asked an hour and fifteen minutes later.

"Yes, Kori?" Rachel replied from behind a black curtain in Hot Topic's only dressing room.

"Who is this unkempt man on this covering and why is he inquiring as to the disappearance of an alcoholic beverage?"

Stepping out of the dressing room, Rachel looked at the fleece blanket Kori held up.

"Oh, that's from _Pirates of the Caribbean_," Rachel explained. "The unkempt man is Jack Sparrow."

"That's _Captain_ Jack Sparrow," a voice behind her called.

"And _that's_ twice in one day someone's done that to me," Rachel fumed as she spun around. "Oh, hi Taka."

Taka looked at Rachel and frowned. "'Oh, hi Taka'? That's all I get? No hug, no smile. Just 'Oh, hi Taka' in that monotone?"

"The way I acted the night we met was an aberration," Rachel said. "Never to be repeated."

"Maybe it was the atmosphere that created such an aberration?" Taka suggested as he leaned closer to Rachel and smiled. "If you came back to the Pit perhaps the experiment can be repeated with the same conclusion."

Rachel put her hand on her hip and smirked at the red-and-black stripe haired youth. "I'm not the type of person who indulges in experiements."

"So you're not a scientist, then?" Taka asked, running his fingers down her arm. "If that's the case, then you must be a romantic. Your choice of clothing is proof enough for that."

Rachel looked down at what she wore. A black leather corset with lace cap sleeves covered her chest and torso while a calf length black pencil skirt with a back slit and dark purple lace covered her legs.

"There's still a third option, you're ignoring Takashi," Rachel murmured.

"And what's that?"

"I could be a realist."

Taka's eyebrow raised a fraction of an inch. "What sort of realist wears clothes like that?" he asked.

Kori's eyes widened as Rachel leaned even closer to the man named Taka and whispered something in his ear. She had never seen her friend act this way. Sometimes Rachel could be reluctantly pleasant to the boys in their lives, but she had never _flirted_ with any of them. (A/N: Kori was too busy flirting with Richard to notice Connor flirting with Rachel…and even then most of the flirting was telepathic.)

_And,_ Kori thought to herself. _This is some serious flirting._

Taka's mouth dropped open at whatever Rachel said to him and caused him to cough a couple of times. "Well," he gasped. "There is that…" He watched as Rachel closed the curtain on the dressing room to change her clothes.

"She is very attracted to you," Kori mentioned.

Taka whipped his head around. "Really?" he asked. "Did she say anything to you?"

Kori laughed at the man's nervousness. "No," she whispered behind her hand. "But I have never seen Rae act in this manner. It is very refreshing. My name is Kori Anders, by the way."

Taking her hand, Taka apologized. "I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself. I'm Takashi Genrou. Call me Taka."

"Very well, Taka. Where did you and Rae meet? When did you meet?" she asked, taking her hand back.

"We met at my club, the Desert Rose, two months ago. She was there with—"

"With the intention of enjoying a perfectly wonderful poetry reading," Rachel interrupted, a armful of clothing in her hands.

"Yes," Kori said. "Rachel does enjoy poetry."

Taka's eyebrows rose when Rachel shook her head slightly at him. "Kori, why don't you go on to the Alley. I've still got to pay for these and I'm sure you're hungry by now," she said.

"If it is alright with you, Rae," Kori answered. "I do feel a bit of the hunger pains."

"She has a very unusual way of speaking," Taka mentioned as Kori left the store. "Almost as if English wasn't her first language."

"It isn't," Rachel said as she paid for her things.

"Why didn't you want her to know you were with Richard the night we met?" he asked as he picked up her bags.

"Because," she said as she took the bags from him and headed for the Alley. "She doesn't know we went out that night. And I would appreciate it if you didn't mention that or the fact that we were celebrating my birthday."

"Oh," Taka murmured. "Do you and Richard have a thing going on?"

"We might've started something if it wasn't for the fact that we work together," Rachel answered, compelled for some reason to be truthful and at the same time convince Taka that she and Richard weren't an item. "That and Kori's over the moon for him. Just like he is for her."

Taka looked at Rachel's face and reached for one of her shopping bags again. "Do you wish something could have started?"

"Not really," she answered, finally letting him carry one of the heavier bags. "We're both too stubborn and too dark in our personalities for it to work out. If things were different—if Kori weren't around, if we didn't have our work to deal with—then maybe it could have worked out."

Stopping outside of Jabba the Cup, Rachel turned to Taka. "Richard knows how I feel about this," she said. "He was the one who was confused for a while. We have a lot in common, but there's not a lot of chemistry there."

"But there could have been," Taka said.

"There could have been," Rachel answered. Tilting her head, she reached up and pushed Taka's hair out of his eyes. "I normally don't tell these things to people I've only met once, but there's something about you."

Catching her wrist in his hand, Taka kissed the palm of her hand. "There's something about you too, Rachel," he said softly. "Come to the Rose tonight."

"I don't know," she replied. "It's Sunday, Taka, and I have to go to work tomorrow."

Taka's head lowered while he moved Rachel's chin up until their eyes met. "Come to the Rose tonight," he whispered before he brushed his lips against her forehead. "Please."

"I—I—" she stammered. Two stores away, all of the lights exploded. Knowing that her hair would turn purple in a few seconds, Rachel did the only thing she could think of to keep Taka from seeing the change.

She kissed him.

It was wonderful and sweet and very, very bad for her control.

After struggling for a few moments to make sure the glamour was back in place, Rachel pulled away and looked up into his glowing eyes.

"Is that a yes?" Taka asked.

Rachel's eyes darted away from Taka's, only to see Richard's angry face and the wounded look in Connor's eyes through the front window of Jabba the Cup.

_Raven…_Aqualad's voice echoed sadly in her head.

Turning to look at Taka, Rachel answered.

"Yes."

**

* * *

A/N:**

Uh-oh…what's gonna happen next? Does Robin really wanna settle for friendship? And what about Aqualad? He and Raven _were _getting a bit flirty. I really don't know who Raven will end up with…the story's kinda writing itself and it won't give up the goodies.

But be prepared for some major Raven/Aqualad in upcoming chapters!

BTW…the beginning part is from the end of the episode "Switched"


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **Teen Titans…not mine…waaaaahhhhh!

**This Chapter's Cast of Characters**

Raven: Rachel Roth

Aqualad: Connor Selky

**

* * *

**

Chapter 6

No one could deny that it was hot in the Desert Rose that night.

Since it was the last weekend before the start of the Fall Semester, the Rose was packed. The Bar was busy keeping up with the demand for cool drinks. The bartenders amused the crowd with their pouring skills and jokes—all the while narrowly missing each other's bodies, glasses, and bottles with a grace that would do the Russian Ballet proud. Waiters and waitresses dodged dancers and each other while serving those lucky few who got to sit at the tables. The Floor was crammed with people—most of whom only wanted to deny the fact that next week would bring more than the changing leaves, it would bring the start of a new school year with it. The DJ instantly read the mood of the crowd—as most good DJs do—and played a never ending mix of bass heavy songs. The heavy thrumming of the beats were felt throughout the crowd and made them hungry for more. And finally, the Pit was a slightly cooler—though not by much—sanctuary for those who had their fill of dancing.

"I shouldn't have come here," Rachel murmured as she pushed her way past the Floor and into the Pit. After ordering a pot of Peppermint Tea at the coffee bar, she sat down in the same couch she and Richard had before.

_Stupid Robin!_ she fumed to herself. She was furious at him for being furious at her. Didn't they agree that they would be friends? Starfire would be crushed if he didn't keep to their deal. And after the whole Puppet King battle, Raven was even more determined not to let a romance with Robin happen—ever.

_So I kissed Taka,_ she thought. _Big deal._ _I can't kiss who I want to kiss?_

_But what about Aqualad?_ Happy asked Raven inside her mind. You _know you like him as more than a friend. _He _knows it. _Robin _knows it—he even encouraged it after the Trident case, remember?_

_I remember,_ Raven thought, glumly. She couldn't forget how hurt Aqualad had looked that afternoon. As if she had betrayed a trust between them. But what trust could they have? They had only known each other for a little over a month.

_You kissed Taka and you've known him for barely more than two months,_ Sadness reminded her. _And you only met him twice._

_And how often have you seen Aqualad hanging around the Tower?_ Bravery asked her. _He was there for almost a week tieing up the paperwork from that overgrown guppy. And you guys talked—a lot! And you enjoyed those talks._

_You did…_Happy and Sadness echoed.

Raven couldn't deny it. She felt strange around him—and Taka—and Robin. Robin was out of the question, no doubt about that. _If only—_

"Hey, sweetie," a voice interrupted her thoughts. "This seat taken?"

Rachel looked up at the young man and frowned. "Actually—"

"—it is," Connor answered, sitting down next to Rachel and placing her tea on the table.

He looked gorgeous. As he always did. Dark blue jeans covered his long legs and a plain black t-shirt covered his torso. His shoulder length hair was tied at the back of his neck with a piece of string—probably from an old teabag, which was a habit that Rachel found disgusting. Rachel gave him a cool smile and reached for her tea. "Is Richard here with you?" she asked, totally ignoring the guy who had tried to pick her up.

Rubbing the side of his head, Connor smiled sheepishly. "No, I'm alone," he admitted.

"Hmm…" Rachel hummed after pouring a cup for both of them. The coffee staff had thoughtfully added a second cup to her order. "Did he ask you to come after me?"

"I would be lying if I said no," he answered, taking the cups from her. Placing them back on the table, Connor grasped Rachel's hands and looked into her eyes. "I also would be lying if I said that we aren't worried. Richard told me—"

"I don't care what Richard told you," Rachel said in her usual monotone. She tried to pull her hands from his, but he refused to let go. She satisfied herself by looking at anything but Connor. "It's none of his business. Just as it's none of yours."

"Rachel," Connor said softly as he brushed her cheek with his hand. "Look at me. Please."

After all of their talks at the Tower, Rachel couldn't deny him anything when he said 'please.' Maybe it was because he said it so rarely…just as she did.

Looking into her lavender eyes, Connor continued. "Richard told me that you don't even know Takashi that well. You only met him once."

"Twice," she said.

Shaking his head, Connor smiled sadly at her. "Today at the mall doesn't count." Staring at her small hands, he rubbed the sides of the black gauntlets she wore. "You kissed him," he whispered.

Leaning closer to him, Rachel watched as Connor traced the red stitching on her gauntlets. Sighing, she leaned her forehead against his. "Yes, I did," she answered.

Connor had reached the end of her gauntlets and contented himself with rubbing his thumbs against the inside of her elbows. "W-was he your first kiss?" he stuttered.

Closing her eyes against the pain in his voice and the pleasure of his touch, Rachel nodded—and felt her chakra lightly scrape against his forehead. He didn't complain.

Letting loose a sigh of his own, Connor cupped her face with both hands and waited until she opened her eyes. "Did you want him to be?" he asked.

"He's safe," Rachel said.

"That's not an answer," he whispered fiercely.

They didn't notice the stares they were getting or the fact that people were suddenly in a rush to leave the Pit. The intense concentration they had on each other caused an almost visible barrier to form around them. The message was clear: "Leave us alone."

Grabbing his wrists, Rachel looked into his eyes and remembered the last time they talked. He had made her laugh. "It's my answer," she murmured.

_You don't want me,_ Raven thought to herself. _I'm too complicated._

_I happen to like complicated,_ Aqualad said to her telepathically—reading her mind.

"You don't need safe," Connor said out loud.

Rachel stiffened his his arms. Their bodies were so close now, she was practically in his lap. "Don't tell me what I need,"

"I don't want to...let me…Raven…" he trailed off.

Even though she knew it was coming, she didn't stop it. And Connor took that as permission.

The kiss was even better than her first. Where the first was filled with the slight panic of discovery, this one was filled with the joy of exploration.

Connor's lips were smooth and gentle. A feeling of warmth enveloped her and she knew she wouldn't loose control with him. It was hard to let her Anger take control of her when he whispered soothingly in her mind. He was tender and sweet and everything she wanted her first kiss to be.

_But it's not my first kiss._

Pulling back, Rachel stared at Connor in shock. "I—you—we—"

"It's okay, Rachel," Connor said as he picked up their cold tea. "We can take it slow. I enjoy talking to you—you know that, right?"

"I know," she smiled shyly at him.

They sat back and enjoyed their tea. Content with themselves and each other.

**

* * *

A/N: I totally have more written, but it felt right to end things there. Ending two chapters in a row with a kiss…hmmm, I hope this doesn't become a trend.**

Thanks to everyone to reviewed btw it's been a pleasure reading them!


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **Do not own Teen Titans or the songs of Utada…the most expensive thing I own is my laptop…I hate being a poor college student…

**This Chapter's Cast of Characters**

Raven: Rachel Roth

Aqualad: Connor Selky

Robin: Richard Grayson

Takashi Genrou

The song playing in the Desert Rose is called "Workout" by Utada Hikaru

**Chapter 7**

"So…" Connor drawled, determined to take that scared/shy look out of her eyes. "What do your gauntlets say?"

"What makes you think that they say anything?" she asked, knowing what he was up to and greatful that he cared enough about her to try. "They could be just pretty decorations."

"The Rachel I know doesn't go for 'pretty decorations.' And I've seen enough examples of ancient alphabets to know that the designs on your armwear _have_ to mean something."

"You're going to bug me until I tell you, aren't you?" she laughed, taking a sip of her tea.

Smiling smugly, Connor laughed back. "I won't have to bug you for long. If you don't tell me before we get back to your place, I'll tell Victor about that kiss in the mall."

Rachel coughed on her hand. "Victor doesn't know about that? I thought Kori told him and Garfield as soon as we got back."

"Nope. Richard got to her and explained how you might be embarrassed if they knew," Connor leaned in and whispered behind his hand. "Victor would kill any guy who got too close to you and Garfeild probably would be hurt."

"I understand Vic wanting to kill someone, but Gar feeling hurt?" Rachel shook her head. "I don't think so."

"And here I thought you were observant," Connor sighed. "Our resident comic has a small infatuation with you."

"If you know about it, then why are you courting me, Connor?" Rachel asked.

"Courting is such an old fashioned word, Rachel, but it suits you," Connor replied, topping off their drinks. "About Gar, I care for you too much to just leave things alone because of him. Anyway, it's just a small crush. He'll get over you."

"I'm that easy to get over?"

"No. But he already thinks of you as more of a slightly scary older sister than a girlfriend. And great job getting me off topic," Connor observed.

Trying to look innocent, and for the most part failing, Rachel smiled at Connor. "What?"

"What do your gauntlets say? Or I tell Vic about the kiss," he threatened.

"I could tell him about the kiss you gave me," Rachel mused. "Then it will be you he kills."

"You wouldn't do that," he said confidently. "You love me too much."

The word 'love' threw Rachel off for a second. She didn't know if that was what she was feeling, but she would not rule out the possibility.

"_In your hands lie the power to create or destroy worlds. _

_In your heart is the power to know which path to choose. _

_Choose wisely, my daughter, for your choice will either_

_Grant you peace or keep you eternally from acheiveing it. _"

"That's what they say?" he asked, knowing exactly what she meant.

"Yes," she answered. "They were a gift from my mother."

"Well, that's…um…very you. Deep and meditative, I mean," he said, searching for a way to change the subject. That moment, the DJ started up a new set of songs. "Why don't we dance? The music's pretty good right now. They're playing J-pop."

"I don't know how to dance, Connor," Rachel said, biting her lower lip.

Pulling her to her feet, Connor smiled and dragged her to the dance floor. "It's easy!" he shouted. "Just follow my lead!"

At first, Rachel was stiff and awkward. She felt self-conscious and horribly gawky next to Connor's smooth movements and confident smile. Connor seemed to understand her problem and placed his hands on her hips. "Move with me," he whispered in her ear. "Let yourself feel the music."

Placing her hands on his waist, Rachel moved with Connor. Closing her eyes made it easier for her to imagine that no one in the club was watching them dance. Or more specifically, no one was watching how much she _sucked_ at dancing. As one song mixed with another, Rachel felt more and more of her stiffness leave her. She started to move her hips more and soon no longer needed Connor to lead her. The music had her now and she didn't want to stop.

_I was dancing with a dirty blond Texan_

_Charming accent but the music's playing too loud_

_For talking_

_So I showed him_

_How people in the Far East get down_

Letting her emotions move her body, Rachel turned in Connor's arms so that her back was to his front. Moving sensually with the pounding beat, she raised her arms and curled one around Connor's neck. She could feel one of his hands on her hip and felt him move her head with the other one. Connor slowly angled her head and exposed her pale neck.

When he kissed her right below the ear, Rachel shivered and smiled.

_Push it up, push it down_

_Pull it up, pull it down_

_Keep it up, keep it down_

_Now put me down_

_...what a workout!_

_If you want, _

_You can come_

_Come get it, get it_

_If you don't_

_You may really_

_Regret it, 'gret it_

_Up and down 'til_

_Your knees start_

_Shakin' shakin'_

_Ain't it good to be alive_

_Tonight?_

Rachel opened her eyes a bit and looked across the dance floor. People were dancing and having a good time. No one was paying attention to her and Connor. She smiled as she realized that her emotions were behaving themselves…mostly. Lust and Love seemed to be having a blast. She never realized that dancing could calm her as fast as meditating. Swiveling her hips, she closed her eyes again. But not before she saw the glowing gaze of Takashi Genrou staring right at her.

_1 life_

_2 time_

_3 girls_

_4 guys_

_5 ripples running up and down my spine_

_6.0 Make it sweet, drop another dime._


End file.
